The Go Guide Weekend Preview: This is not Del Boca Vista

Ben Crandell, SouthFlorida.com

It's been nearly 20 years since Jerry Seinfeld began visiting Del Boca Vista, the fictional South Florida retirement community where parents Morty and Helen battled crotchety neighbors, ate dinner at 4:30 p.m., didn't run their AC much and reaffirmed the region's place in the national consciousness.

Tramar Lacel Dillard, of Carol City, was barely a teenager at the time, and probably had little use for the top-rated sitcom. He had his own vision for South Florida’s place in popular culture.

Seinfeld and Dillard, now known as the rapper Flo Rida (pictured), are among the big draws on a weekend in which the contemporary diversity of the local scene will be on display for representatives of top sports and entertainment media outlets gathered (many in Broward County hotels) for the BCS national championship football game, a match-for-the-ages between Notre Dame and Alabama at Sun Life Stadium on Monday.

So let us put our best foot forward. And, please, leave the white belt and shoes at home.

FREE FLOIf you didn’t get tickets to the national championship game (they topped out at about $2,500 online), the Discover Championship Fan Experience is the next best way to get in on the BCS energy, with free weekend performances by chart-topper Flo Rida and honky-tonker Dierks Bentley.

The fan zone, sponsored by Bud Light and Dr Pepper, is open 1-8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on Ocean Drive between Seventh and 10th streets on Miami Beach. The area will include performances by team bands and cheerleaders, autograph sessions, games, a zip line and a chance to take a photo with the national championship trophy.

The main entertainment kicks off on Sunday with the Miami Heat’s popular DJ Irie spinning at 4 p.m. Up the street, you can “tip it on back” with Bentley at 5 p.m., and then chase that with hits such as “Whistle,” “Wild Ones” and the still classic “Low,” when Flo Rida goes on at 7 p.m.

PLEASURE GARDENINGThe sexy escapism that South Florida is known for has been getting a new twist in Miami’s Design District with “Orchid,” a show that is part theater, part burlesque, part circus (yes, you’re under a tent, called the Pleasure Garden) and part cutting-edge dining experience, courtesy of celebrity chef Michelle Bernstein. The director of “Orchid,” William Baker, was a stylist on Britney Spears’ Circus tour, if that helps. The “pop-up entertainment experience” at 299 NE 38th St., in Miami, will have its final performances this weekend: 7:30 and 10:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 6 p.m. Sunday. Tickets: $49-$119. Info: 305-445-7550, OrchidtheShow.com.

JARRING JAMSMedeski, Martin and Wood, fresh from last month’s residency at New York’s jazz mecca, the Blue Note, will be in town to stretch musical boundaries and, perhaps, our visitors’ definition of what South Florida sounds like these days. MM&W will perform Sunday at Revolution Live (100 SW Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale) before heading off on the 11th annual Jam Cruise from Port Everglades (a sellout) with the likes of Galactic, JJ Grey and Mofro, Moe, the Funky Meters and Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe. Tickets to Sunday’s MM&W show cost $29 at the box office. Moe will play a post-cruise show on Jan. 12. Tickets: $29. Info: 954-449-1025, JointheRevolution.net.

SHIPPING OUT Another music cruise of many more decibels leaves Port Everglades this weekend, Holy Ship!, a floating homage to the DJ-electronica lifestyle. The preparty is Thursday (Jan. 3), also at Revolution Live, with top-ranked A-Trakleading the glowing merriment, along with Jack Beats, 12th Planet and others. Tickets: $25. Info: 954-449-1025, JointheRevolution.net. Holy Ship!, which sails to Nassau on the MSC Poesia Friday-Monday, is sold-out. Other acts include Diplo, Major Lazer, Boys Noize, Crookers and Dillon Francis. Info: HolyShip.com.

SEE JERRY SWEATLike you, we love Jerry Seinfeld’s online series, “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” especially the back-and-forth final episode with Michael “Kramer” Richards (“It’s Bubbly Time, Jerry”). But in his recent interview with The New York Times Magazine, the comedian reminded us why stand-up shows such as the ones he’ll do this weekend at Hard Rock Live (1 Seminole Way, Hollywood) are important in the Internet age: “We’re craving the nondigital even more these days, the authentically human interaction,” he says. “We need to see some schmuck sweat.” Seinfeld performs at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets: $89.50-$179.50 via Ticketmaster. Info: 954-797-5531, HardRockLiveHollywoodFL.com.

SEE TRACY SWEAT Another famous TV sitcom actor, Tracy Morgan of “30 Rock” and “Saturday Night Live,” will perform on Feb. 2 in The Pavilion at Seminole Casino Coconut Creek (5550 NW 40 St., near Sample and State Road 7). Tickets are $40 and just went on sale at all Ticketmaster outlets. Info: 954-977-6700, SeminoleCasinoCoconutCreek.com.

YOUR WEEKEND BURGERIt’s inevitable that an out-of-towner will ask where to get a good burger and a beer, and for grins we’ll point them to the Big Easy-themed Shuck ‘N Dive (650 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale) for the Black ‘n Voodoo burger and a bottle of Turbo Dog. The burger ($10.99) is a memorable layering of cheese and jalapenos made all the more sinister by a hidden dollop of eye-watering horseradish. So there’s the entertainment value of watching them eat it. Info: 954-462-0088.

CLIFF NOTESWhen we need an explanation about things political, like that crazy fiscal cliff thing, we find there’s nothing like song and dance and wisecracks to cut through bureaucratic unctuousness. The Capitol Steps will explain it all for you 8 p.m. Monday at the Crest Theater (51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach). Tickets: $35. Info: 561-243-7922, DelrayCenterfortheArts.org.

A ‘10’ FOR $10 Reminder: Bo Derek, iconic co-star (with Dudley Moore) in the 1979 middle-age-crazy dramedy “10,” will be the special guest at opening ceremonies on Sunday for Season 10 at the International Polo Club Palm Beach (3667 120th Ave. S., Wellington). Derek will toss out the first ball for the first match at 3 p.m. Tickets range from $10 for general admission to $120 for box seating. Tickets for Sunday brunch at The Pavilion and its reception begin at $55. Info: 561-204-5687, InternationalPoloClub.com.

BUS LOOP BARGAIN The Fort Lauderdale Bus Loop returns on Jan. 19 with its popular downtown-beach route, and if you get your ticket by Jan. 12, it’s $20. After that it’ll be $30 advance, $35 at check-in at Yolo or the Office Pub. If you are new to Looping, the event runs from 6 to 11 p.m., when buses packed with like-minded souls make stops at various downtown and beach hotspots, offering you a free drink at each. Other participating venues include American Social, Tarpon Bend, Lucky's Tavern, America's Backyard, Copacabana, Vibe, Quarterdeck and Cafe Del Mar. Proceeds benefit Covenant House Florida, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Jessica June Childrens Cancer Foundation, Jack & Jill Childrens Center, Riverwalk Trust, and the Broward County Gator Club Scholarship Fund. Info: BusLoop.org.

JAZZ TIP I heard trumpeter Jon Faddis once, about the time Seinfeld’s show was hot, perhaps his “To Diz With Love” tour, and the memory of his magical, muscular way with a high note, and his stylish swagger, has lingered ever since. Faddis, who has played in bands led by Charles Mingus, Dizzy Gillespie and Lionel Hampton, performs with his quartet at 7:45 p.m. Wednesday at the Broward Center, a concert presented by the Gold Coast Jazz Society. Tickets: $40. Info: BrowardCenter.org, 954-462-0222; GoldCoastJazz.org.

GOING DOWNTONWhen PBS’ hit serial “Downton Abbey” returns on Sunday evening, many of your friends will be gathered to watch the Season 3 premiere episode at Cinema Paradiso (503 SE Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale). Just as a cultural conversation piece, the WPBT party, with its hat contest and trivia challenge, is a sellout. That’s 230 seats. Impressive.

GOING DWNTWNThe formerly Broward County-based Jacob Jeffries Band, now of New York, has several South Florida shows scheduled in the next several weeks, highlighted by a free 7 p.m. Jan. 11 performance (with Allen Stone) on the DWNTWN Miami Concert Series at Bayfront Park. The fifth season of the series includes a farmer's market, arts and craft vendors and the Heineken Beer Garden. Info: DwntwnConcerts.com. Other upcoming JJB shows include: Feb. 5 at Cowboys Saloon in Davie; Feb. 7 at Music on the Plaza in Palm Beach Gardens; and Feb. 17 at the Coconut Grove Arts Festival. Info: Facebook.com/JacobJeffriesBand.